A co-worker of Bill Halainen once wrote that when his daughters asked him, “What does Mr. Halainen do?,” he thought about it for only a second before responding, “Mr. Halainen is the unofficial voice of the National Park Service. Not everyone in the Service knows him, but everyone in the Service knows of him.” Bill began his career with the NPS as a seasonal interpretive ranger at Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument in 1974. He followed this with seasons at Mesa Verde National Park from 1975 to 1977 before being hired permanently as a law enforcement ranger at Colonial National Historical Park (NHP) in 1977. In 1980 he transferred to Minute Man NHP. Five years later he took the position as the NPS Uniform Program Manager at NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C. A year later, in 1986, Bill began to edit the NPS Morning Report. As one person wrote, “before the Morning Report we hardly knew ourselves.” Through his vision and hard work Halainen built the report into the veritable “voice” of the NPS. His efforts helped link agency members together and fostered a sense of community and teamwork. For nearly thirty years he edited the report, never missing a beat, even on weekends and vacations, at the same time working his regular, demanding job, making it “the longest running and successful communications platforms in NPS history.” For most of his time with the report, he had no backup. Bill was the only editor, editing and publishing approximately 6,900 editions.
Bill’s dedication to the NPS is legendary. He served as a board member of the Association of National Park Rangers, helped establish the International Ranger Federation, edited Ranger magazine, and in 2002 became editor of “Inside NPS,” a job he did in addition to his work on the Morning Report.
After ten years in various positions with Ranger activities in Washington, Bill transferred to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a management assistant, where he worked until his retirement in 2007. But his association with the Morning Report and Inside NPS did not end with his retirement. He continued to edit both publications as a contractor until 2015.
During his distinguished career, Bill received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Service Award given by the Association of National Park Rangers; three Director’s Performance Awards for development of service wide reporting systems and helping develop the service’s first website in 1995; the Outstanding Service Award from the International Ranger Federation for his role in writing and publishing The Thin Green Line; the Department of the Interior’s Unsung Hero Award; the Meritorious Service Award given in 2006 for his wide ranging career achievements; the President’s Award from the Association of National Park Rangers in 2009; and in 2015 the George B. Hartzog Award given by the Coalition of NPS Retirees (now the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks). Midwest Regional Director Cameron Sholly would observe, “Throughout his career, Bill has been known for being selfless, humble, high performing, highly reliable, dedicated to the mission, and committed to excellence.” That selfless dedication and hard work touched thousands of lives and made the NPS a better agency. His career in the NPS is a reminder that one person can make a difference.
The Coalition has been made aware of the recent and unexpected passing of Bill Halainen, the creator of the Coalition’s Morning Report. Bill received the 2014 George Hartzog Award and the 2018 1872 Award, as follows:
Hartzog Award – Bill Halainen
“Retired but still a part-time contractor for the NPS, Bill has remained fully engaged in promoting and assisting the NPS throughout his NPS career. While working for NPS he was the Editor of The Morning Report from the 1980s until his retirement. During the course of his career, Bill was routinely called upon to provide information and assistance to a great many offices and people within the NPS organization and family. Additionally, Bill was instrumental in establishing the International Ranger Federation. His efforts were key to getting the organization launched. For his many years of patience, commitment, persistence and expertise, and for being “Mr. Communication” for the National Park Service, the Coalition is very proud to present the 2014 George Hartzog, Jr. Award.”
The 1872 Award – Bill Halainen
“Known as “Mr. Communication,” Bill worked for the NPS for over forty years. Though he retired from the NPS in 2007, he continued to edit both The Morning Report and Inside NPS as a contractor until 2015. Today, Bill devotes countless hours to compiling The Weekly Report for Coalition members, a roundup of news and events happening throughout the National Park System. Bill received the George Hartzog Award in 2014. We are proud to recognize Bill with the 1872 Award in honor of his continued dedication to ensuring that past and current NPS employees are still connected to the news from parks across the country.”
We invite you to share fond memories and expressions of sympathy using the form below, which will be posted afterward.
Jane Scott – I met Bill in 1975 at Mesa Verde National Park, where we worked as seasonal rangers together. Even then, Bill was a great communicator and connector. He helped foster a sense of close community among our large group of seasonals, and collected memories of those years decades later with his publication of “Black on White,” a newsletter for MEVE alums. At the Park, he initiated Star Talks, a new offering in the interpretive program. He was an innovator, a communicator, and a true believer in the NPS. I am saddened by his loss, but glad that he spent his life doing what he loved and excelled at.
Mike Panz – So long old friend and hiking buddy, we will all miss you !
Julie Thomas McNamee – I never met Bill in person; we communicated via email. But he was
always gracious, always responsive, anticipating information I would need before
I knew it myself. I already miss knowing he’s there. Thank you Bill!
Joan Anzelmo – I am so saddened to learn of Bill’s passing. He was such a
special person and an incredible NPS employee. His distinguished career in parks
and at headquarters linked the NPS together as a community. I loved getting to
work with Bill from my field and headquarters positions. His work was
invaluable. I will miss him greatly. My sincere condolences to his family and
many friends.
Rick Erisman – It was a pleasure and a privilege to have known Bill throughout
many years in NPS, ANPR, Ranger Rendezvous, IRF, and World Congresses. May he
RIP, Fair Winds and following Seas, Friend!
Sandy Rives – I was very fortunate to spend a lot of time with Bill in
Washington in the 1980’s. And then he became an invaluable source of
information until we both retired in 2007. He will be missed.
Frank Norris – I never met Bill – he was an East Coast guy, and I worked mainly
in Alaska parks – but in many ways, he and his report WAS the agency … his
reports held the agency together. Well done, Bill!
Jon Lewis – Back at the dawn of rolling out email across the NPS, Bill was one
of the folk who grasped that this new technology could be used to help tie the
field units together and reinforce the values of “NPS Family” across eleven
time zones. We became a merry band of conspirators, bonded by our appreciation
of Firesign Theatre humor, which first arose when he quoted something to me and
we finished his quote together. ( https://firesigntheatre.com/ ) Bill even
mailed me an audio cassette (already becoming obsolete) of an album I hadn’t
heard before. His sense of humor was evident in the NPS Morning Report, which
was one of the first emails opened across the Service on every shift. Culture
change was inevitable, but Bill’s contribution was richly appreciated as NPS
moved from 5-part carbon paper forms to the digital age.
Kevin Hendricks – Bill’s death means the loss of a real NPS icon. His work on the
Morning Report and InsideNPS was legendary. So many of us in the NPS relied on
those publications to keep us informed of issues throughout the Service and
issues affecting the Service (its resources, employees, visitors, etc). The
Morning Report and InsideNPS kept us informed of park happenings, opportunities,
and news of friends and colleagues. In the earliest days of my career in the
late 80s, the Morning Report educated me about the Service and reminded me that
I was part of something bigger than just my position. Sadly, the Service
hasn’t kept up that high standard of communications but fortunately CPANP has
(thanks KW and other contributors!). The totality of Bill’s work is
impressive, his dedication unmatched, and his impact remarkable. Our
condolences to Bill’s family; please know that he did so much for us, and was
deeply appreciated.
Becky Jaffe – What an inspirational man! I am so impressed by his dedication to
NPS and his incredible service. My condolences to his family.
Ginny Rousseau – We all know that Bill is a renowned communicator, editor and journalist but did you know that he also had a side line as a model?
In 1985 Bill moved into Ranger Activities as the National Uniform Coordinator. During his tenure there he had a tremendous impact on the quality and variety of uniforms available to the employees of the National Park Service. He and Linda Balotti were a two person whirlwind who single handedly tightened requirements, wrote new ones and set a standard for each uniform component and how it should be worn. How thick should the uniform belt be? How far above the pocket does the name tag go (a nickle’s width), How do you wear the stetson hat? Are the pockets on the women’s shirts large enough to hold a small “field notebook”? Do staff working in hot and humid climates need 100% cotton shirts and should uniform shorts be allowed for boating patrols? What about lifeguards?
Bill took the job seriously and set up sessions and surveys to identify what the field staff wanted and needed. He was the go between for the NPS and the contractors, including R & R. He was always a proponent and champion for the Field.
I had the privilege of working with Bill on many of the national uniform issues and one of the highlight was the creation of the first national uniform poster that was distributed to all parks and NPS areas showing NPS employees wearing the various uniform components with explanations of how and when they should be worn. Walt Dabney, Superintendent of Canyonlands NP, Bill and I (then the NE Regional Chief Ranger) met in Nashville, TN at the R & R uniform headquarters for the development of the poster. Over the next few days Bill’s quiet wit, humor and guidance carried the day.
I miss you Bill, always in the background watching and listening at Rendezvous, Conferences and all types of gatherings with your pen and paper or computer, a slight knowing smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye.
Ginny Rousseau
R&R Uniforms, Inc.
A Division of Horace Small Apparel Co.